1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to child car seats generally, and specifically to a combination child car seat and stroller having a telescoping handle.
2. Description of Related Art
Air travel with an infant or a small child is often a frustrating experience. Airports usually have parking areas, ticket areas, and boarding areas all widely separated. Many airports have various terminals, sometimes a half-mile or more apart. For a passenger, negotiating an airport therefore frequently requires walking long distances. Riding on a shuttle bus or a tram is often part of the trip as well. A child too small to walk on his own must either be carried or use a stroller or carriage of some kind.
Typical car seats have a number of disadvantages for air travel. Catching a flight may mean leaving home earlier than a child""s usual waking hour. Frequently, a child who is wakened and dressed early on the day of the flight falls asleep in his car seat on the way to the airport. On arrival at the airport, he generally wakes when he is removed from his car seat. The same problem occurs in reverse when arriving at a destination or on returning home. A child""s normal bedtime may arrive before the flight does, or before the luggage does. A child tired out by traveling may well fall asleep on an airplane at any time of day.
Typical strollers also have a number of disadvantages for air travel. Most strollers are too wide to fit down an airplane aisle. Even folded, most strollers are too large to fit under an airplane seat or into an overhead bin. Strollers must therefore be checked at the gate, if not sooner. The child then must be carried onto the plane, through the terminal when changing planes, and to the baggage claim. Many travelers prefer to carry only carry-on luggage, to save time both when boarding and on arrival. Checking a stroller makes checking baggage mandatory, adding time to the trip.
Carrying a child for a long distance tends to be awkward and exhausting, particularly when carrying luggage as well. The problem gets more difficult as the child gets older and heavier, but is not yet able to walk well. Toddlers walk much more slowly than adults, and often get tired or distracted after a short distance. This can be a serious problem when trying to reach a distant gate in time to catch a connecting flight.
Airlines generally recommend that babies and toddlers fly in a car seat. In the event of a crash, a child held on the lap of an adult is very likely to be injured or killed. Even simple turbulence can be dangerous to a lap child on an airplane. It is impossible for a parent to hold the child tightly enough to restrain him in emergency situations.
Many ordinary car seats can be used to secure children both in cars and in airplane seats. However, carrying a car seat from the car to the plane is awkward. It is nearly impossible for just one adult to transport a child, a stroller, and a car seat at the same time, even without additional luggage. Due to the known difficulty of this juggling act, regulators have been reluctant to require the use of child safety seats in airplanes.
Strollers which are convertible into car seats are known. The most common type has a car seat with a stroller frame. The car seat is removed from the frame and installed in the car for use as a car seat. This type of car seat has several disadvantages for air travel. Even with the car seat removed, the stroller frame is too large to fit under an airplane seat and must still be checked. Converting for use in the car, on the ground, and in the airplane tends to be complex and require several steps. Convertible strollers are also generally expensive, due to the complex mechanism.
It would be desirable to provide a child car seat with attached wheels so arranged as to remain with the child car seat when placed in a vehicle while restricting the overall width to fit in the isle of a commercial passenger aircraft. The seat may have wheels integral with the child car seat or a supporting frame with wheels which may be secured to a standard child car seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,680, issued Nov. 7, 1989, to Molnar, describes a convertible stroller car seat having a telescoping handle. The four wheels of the stroller are mounted on axles attached to a frame which supports the car seat portion of the stroller car seat combination.
U.S. Pat. No. US 6,296,259 B1 issued Oct. 2, 2001 to Anderson, describes child safety seat stroller having a rectangular frame base with four wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. US 6,250,564 B1, issued Jun. 26, 2001, to Willis, describes a car seat/stroller assembly with a rocker mechanism. Four wheels are provided at each corner of the rectangular base, which is adapted for mountably supporting the car seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,134, issued Apr. 14, 1992, to Cone, describes a convertible car seat/stroller with a telescoping handle. The shell of the seat covers the wheels during use as a car seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,567, issued Jul. 28, 1992, to Owens describes a combination infant carrier, car seat, and stroller. The seat portion is detachable and can be attached either to a stroller wheel assembly or to a car.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,393, issued Jan. 21, 1997, to Batten, describes a car seat/stroller. A production car seat has a set of holes drilled to receive a telescoping handle. The seat include a forward primary set of wheels which extend just below the bottom of the seat. The forward set of wheels is mounted on a flat bar bracket. The seat also has a retractable set of secondary wheels mounted by inserting an axle through a pivoting support leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,990,190, issued Jun. 27, 1961, to Eriksen, describes a combination infant stroller and support chair which may be used in a car. A chair support is used in conjunction with a stroller carriage having two wheels and a single telescoping handle. A kick stand is pivotally attached to the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,097 to Boudreau et al. describes a removable stroller canopy of flexible sheet material.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is a combination child car seat and stroller. The car seat has a seat portion and a fastening means for fastening the car seat to an airplane seat or automobile seat. A harness secures the child in the seat. A telescoping pull handle is attached to the seat back. A roller assembly is attached to the seat portion proximate to the seat back. The roller assembly includes two rollers and at least one axle. The car seat is convertible for use in an automobile, on the ground, or in an airplane without removing the child from the seat. A folding stabilizer may be used to keep the rollers off the ground when desired. A canopy may be attached to the top end of the seat portion.
In another embodiment, a wheeled support frame is provided of the appropriate width and which has clamps for the attachment of a standard car seat. The support frame and wheels remain attached to the child car seat when placed in an automobile or aircraft seat. The width of the support frame is greatest at the wheels as located at the base of the support frame and are so spaced as to allow the frame and attached child car seat to travel along an isle of a commercial passenger aircraft.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a child car seat having a seat portion, a fastening means, a harness, a pull handle, and a roller assembly.
It is another object of the invention to provide a car seat which can be converted to use in an automobile, on the ground, or in an airplane in a minimum number of steps, with little or no rearrangement of parts.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a car seat which is lightweight and inexpensive.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a car seat which is easy to maneuver in airplanes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a car seat having a folding stabilizer which lifts the wheels off the ground.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a wheeled support frame having attachment clamps for attachment to a standard child car seat which, when mounted on the standard child car seat is consistent with the above-mentioned objects.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.